By Ime Bassey
Following the decision of the Disciplinary Committee of the Nigeria Football Federation to invite Premier League clubs, Lobi Stars and Sunshine Stars FC to appear before it over subsisting allegations of match-fixing, the two teams have been clearing the air on the knotty matter..

Lobi Stars chairman, Dominic Iorfa, had accused Sunshine Stars of trying to compromise the match officials for their rescheduled Premier League match billed for the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa Stadium, Bauchi last weekend.

The match officials were said to have been caught in the same vehicle as officials of Sunshine Stars FC, on the way to the game in Bauchi. The match ended in a score draw. Secretary of the NFF Disciplinary Committee, Tunde Aderibigbe said that the committee would listen to all the parties involved in the case at the NFF Secretariat, Abuja on Wednesday, September 21.

“We are inviting the two clubs involved, the match officials as well as the Referees Appointment Committee to state their own sides of the story at our meeting on September 21. It is a serious allegation and we have to get to the root of the matter”, said Aderibigbe. Speaking to Inside Out Premier League, Lobi Stars’ media officer, Tarkula Atom disclosed that, “the rule is that the away team should not have any contact with the referees before a match. But surprisingly to us, we saw one of them in the car of the General Coordinator of the Ondo State Football Agency, Divine Benjamin.

“On arrival at Bauchi and seeing our chairman, they now asked for a change of the officials, which was granted that night. Only the two referees were changed, while the one who was found in the car of the Ondo official was allowed to officiate. He was the one who disallowed our goal.

“We kept quiet on the changes for tactical reason because you must play before you complain. By law, if there must be a change of an official, the three referees that were supposed to officiate must be changed and not just one. We smelt foul play.

“All they are saying now are just stories of defence. The issue of match fixing in the league was once raised by Bukola Babes team manager, Alloy Chukwuemeka but nobody cared to listen. We want them to know that we will not treat the case with levity,” Atom said.

Reacting, Divine Benjamin said that it was untrue for people to insinuate that be compromised referees with cash inducement.

“I am a man of high integrity. People should not tarnish the good image that took me years to build”. The truth will surely prevail at the end of the day”, he said.